Broadband systems provide telecommunications providers with many benefits, including greater bandwidth, more efficient use of bandwidth, and the ability to integrate voice, data, and video communications. These broadband systems provide callers with increased capabilities at lower costs.
The broadband systems now are implementing systems and methods for connecting calls to ported numbers. Local number portability (LNP) allows a user to retain its dialed number (DN) when the user changes physical locations, such as moving from one location associated with a first signaling processor to another location associated with a second signaling processor, when a user changes services, or when a user changes service providers.
Many switches and other call processors are configured to identify calls that are assigned to portable switches or other call processors. As used herein, the terms “portable switch or other call processor”, “portable call processor”, “portable switch”, or “portable signaling processor” mean a switch or other call processor, a call processor, a switch, or a signaling processor that is open to have a ported dialed number assigned to that switch or other call processor, call processor, switch, or signaling processor, respectively. A portable switch, a portable call processor, or a portable signaling processor may serve one or more number plan area and central office code combinations (NPA-NXXs), and at least one NPA-NXX is open to have a ported dialed number associated with that NPA-NXX.
The call signaling associated with a call has an NPA-NXX. The called party is assigned to a phone number having an NPA-NXX as the first six digits of a ten digit phone number. This NPA-NXX can identify a signaling processor that is associated with the called party and can be assigned to a portable signaling processor.
Typically, when a signaling processor receives call signaling for a call having an NPA-NXX that may be assigned to a portable signaling processor, the signaling processor must query a local number portability service control point (LNP SCP) to determine whether the DN is, in fact, ported. The LNP SCP returns a response containing a location routing number (LRN) for the call if the dialed number is ported. If the dialed number is not ported, the LNP SCP returns a response with the dialed number digits of the called party.
It is time consuming to make a query to the LNP SCP for each dialed number that may be ported. Each call is allocated a specified period of time for processing of the call signaling for determination of a route for the call, and a query to the LNP SCP consumes part of that time. Ultimately, a congested situation can occur in a signaling processor if too many queries are made to the LNP SCP.
Thus, an improved system is needed that will provide LNP information for a signaling processor without always making queries to the LNP SCP. The present system provides the needs associated with improved call processing time and reduced queries to an LNP SCP.